


Little Healer

by letthistrainbreakdown



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: A little angst, Bilgesnipes, But with a happy ending!, F/M, Injuries and Blood, Loki and Thor being dumb, Soft Loki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:29:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23907727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/letthistrainbreakdown/pseuds/letthistrainbreakdown
Summary: There was no point in longing for something you couldn't have. It would only lead to heartbreak, right? So you, a lowly palace healer, should have never let yourself become enamored with a prince. Of course, it's easier to tell yourself that than for your heart to listen.But when the object of your longing, the god of mischief himself, gets injured in a fight and you are required to treat him, an admission is made that surprises you.
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Reader
Comments: 8
Kudos: 106





	Little Healer

**Author's Note:**

> I meant this to be a quick, <1,000 word writing exercise, but nope! The story decided to go somewhere else! Enjoy!

You grimaced as the wind shifted the leaves of the tree you were sitting underneath, letting the sun directly into your eyes. You shifted to avoid the glare and turned the page of the book you were reading. It was a rare occasion that you had free time this early in the day, but the healing ward had few patients and Eir had dismissed you, allowing you to finally sit down under the massive trees in the Asgardian courtyard and finish the novel you were in the middle of.

A sound of bustling and footsteps nearby shook you out of the imaginary world. A group of people, some courtiers, but a few servants and guards behind them, were walking down the garden path towards you. Curious as to what they were doing, you watched them pass you and head south, towards the training grounds.

_ I wonder if there’s a sparring match going on, _ you thought. Not interested in witnessing such a spectacle you returned back to your book. Until it struck you that perhaps a certain god of mischief could be among the sparring parties. It would make sense. Whenever Thor and Loki sparred together, the scene drew quite the crowd.

You closed your book, stood up, and brushed off your plain brown dress before starting after the retreating mass. Sure enough, as you approached the training grounds you saw both princes putting on their protective armor and doing their normal pre-fighting rituals.

You made your way to your normal seat, in the second row of seating surrounding the sparring arena. Once upon a time you came and watched matches like these nearly every day. Fandral had been attempting to pursue you then, and after his initial charms were received with diffidence, he had invited you to watch him train and spar with both princes, Sif, Vostagg and Hogun. You capitulated, but not because you wanted to watch Fandral. It gave you a convenient excuse to watch someone else.

Every evening after your shift in the healing ward, you’d come to the pitch and sit in the same seat. You’d doze as Fandral showed off his swordsmanship. It was impressive, but nothing extraordinary. But when Loki stepped into the ring, you became alert, watching his every graceful move, mesmerized.

Coming to watch them so often allowed you to develop some friendliness with both princes and The Warriors Three and Sif. You had known them all before and even occasionally studied with them, having grown up in the palace as the daughter of one of the royal tutors. And, of course, now that you were a palace healer you had mended many a cut or joint out of place on all of them every so often. But you still hadn’t known any of them very well until you had come to watch them fight. There, they were all in their element, and loved someone to brag to or seek validation from.

You found them all enjoyable company, even Fandral, as stubborn as he was in trying to woo you. But of all of them, you appreciated it when the raven haired prince sauntered over to you and made a cunning remark the most. Occasionally he’d ask you what you were reading, and you’d share a brief conversation about books. It didn’t take long before you were smitten.

Alas, after months of little success, Fandral gave up on trying to win your affections, and he no longer encouraged you to come to the training grounds to watch him. You were sure you would still be welcomed still, but it felt strange to go. Besides, your crush on the younger prince had grown into something fearsome, and it was probably best to distance yourself from him a bit. He would never even look twice at you. There was no point in longing for something you couldn’t have. It would only bring heartbreak.

Still, on occasion you traveled down the garden path to watch Loki. You especially liked it when he fought with his seidr. Wielding magic, no single person could stand against him, so he would battle multiple at the same time. It was truly extraordinary you thought. And every so often he graced you with his presence in the healing ward after a rough day of training required some mending. You would have expected him to have known enough healing magic to take care of himself, but you weren’t complaining.

_ Strange _ , you now thought, when you realized that additional barricades had been added around the arena. That was normally only done for an official fight, or for… _ no. _ They weren’t doing that, surely.

You saw Sif pass by in front of you and you called out to her.

“What’s going on?” you asked. “Are Thor and Loki not simply sparring together?”

Sif turned to you and rolled her eyes. “No. No, they’re not doing anything so reasonable as that.” A loud roaring and rumbling came from the corner of the arena. You jumped and turned to see a gate open and a ginormous, horned beast emerged with a pair of formidable antlers protruding from it’s forehead. Around its neck and head was a yellow, glowing bridle. Magical, you knew, in order to subdue the creature. Four palace guards held onto the ends, guiding it into the arena, although it seemed less than enthusiastic.

“Don’t tell me...,”

“That they’re going to be fighting a bilgesnipe?” She shook her head. “I wish I could.”

“Do they not remember last time?” You said, wincing. Last time the brothers attempted to bring down a bilgesnipe together, they both ended up under your care. The bilgesnipe had done a particularly nasty number on both of them.

Sif snorted. “It seems not, especially since Loki has decided to fight without his Seidr.”

You blinked, processing Sif’s words. Then you suddenly stood, making your way down the rows of seating to the grass. Sif looked at you in askance. “Are you leaving?”

You shook your head. “No, I’m going to attempt to talk some sense into them.”

Sif nodded, looking incredulous. “I doubt you’ll be able to, but good luck.”

You easily scaled the barrier and made your way through the people milling around until you approached Loki. He spotted you when you got closer.

“Well, if it isn’t our favorite little healer,” he said, smirking at you. “I’m so glad you could make it to watch the show.”

“What do you think you’re doing?” you started, ignoring his greeting. “Are you insane? You’re going to get yourself killed, you and your brother!” Loki raised an eyebrow. “Your highness,” you added hastily, bowing your head slightly. You might know the brothers well, but not well enough to shed decorum so brazenly as you were.

His smirk didn’t fade. If anything it got wider, making you furious. “Yes, I am very aware of what I am doing, little healer. I doubt we shall be killed, but what a spectacular death that would be to witness.”

“Don’t joke about that, your highness.”

He sobered a little. “Well, you are here, little healer. If we sustain any injury, I am confident in your ability to keep us alive. How fortunate that you decided to show up then.”

You huffed. Then your voice lowered, becoming plaintive. “Please, my prince. Please be cautious. At least use your Seidr.”

His smile was gentler and he met your eyes and held contact as he spoke. “You need not worry for me, little healer, but I appreciate your concern anyway.”

A warmth blossomed to your chest, making its way through your body, including up your neck to your cheeks. You broke the eye contact, hoping he didn’t notice the subtle flush of your face. You sighed. “You really aren’t going to be swayed from this, are you?”

The teasing lilt returned to his voice. “Now where would be the fun in that?”

You returned to your seat, your lips set in a firm line. Part of you wished to leave, to avoid witnessing the sheer stupidity of both brothers. But Loki was right. If either of them was to get injured, you would be needed on site. So you stayed.

“My brother and I will be attempting to bring down this beast,” Thor’s booming voice announced to the crowd once they were about to start, as if it wasn’t already clear what was happening. “The rules are as normal: whoever lands the decisive blow against the beast will be the champion. And to make it interesting, and fair,” Thor added, “he will be using no magic.” 

Small, appreciative murmurs could be heard throughout the crowd. Apparently it hadn’t been common knowledge that Loki would forego his Seidr for this fight. As you looked around, you noticed many shifting forward in their seats, even more eager to see what was about to happen.

You, instead, sunk deep into your seat, sighing in frustration. Then, seconds before the showdown was about to start, you saw the younger prince look towards you, lock eyes, smile mischievously, and then wink. You sunk even deeper, trying to ignore the giddiness that you suddenly felt. Loki was a flirt, it was no special sign of affection, you reminded yourself.

The fight started out banally. The poor bilgesnipe rambled around the arena, occasionally charging at both brothers clumsily and crashing into the barrier along the side. Both were being careful, making sure to steer clear and only come as close as they had to in order to land a blow.  _ Good _ , you thought. But after a few bloody nicks from Loki’s daggers and a hard blow to the head from Mjolnir, the animal started becoming angered and frantic. He attacked quicker, making it harder to get out of the way in time to avoid the blow of his antlers. 

Loki and Thor had both been thrown to the ground multiple times, each one marked by an excited ‘ooh’ from the audience. You flinched each time, but the brothers always got up. Though as the fight continued, you could see the tiredness wear down on them. You started to worry.

Loki positioned himself towards the edge of the arena, taunting the bilgesnipe again. If he had his Seidr, he would have used an illusion, but this Loki was all to real because even though he stepped out of the way before the bilgesnipe could maul him, as he drew his knife to attack his side, the animal suddenly jerked it’s head to the right, and it’s antlers collided right into Loki’s shoulder. 

Loki let out a pained grunt and stumbled back, his opposite arm grasping the injured shoulder. His steps were wobbly, and his facial features were contorted. You could see blood beginning to drip from the rip in his armor. The crowd let out an audible gasp. You, on the other hand, stood immediately, ready to rush down onto the field to treat him. You're not sure how he knew you were about to leap over the barricade yourself to help you, but he turned to you, met your eyes and waved a hand away, as if to tell you to sit down, that he was fine. You stuttered, but eventually did so.

The fight didn’t last long after that. Thor hit the bilgesnipe’s head so hard with his hammer that it was dazed for just long enough for Loki deftly roll on the ground and delivered the final blow to it’s underbelly. The creature let out a ghastly screech and flailed around before collapsing onto the ground. 

The crowd was silent for a moment, taking in what had just happened. They hadn’t expected the younger prince to be the victor, not without his magic. But soon enough they broke into an only slightly muted applause. Loki took a bow, a large, triumphant grin on his face. When he raised his eyes again, he met yours. His smile grew wider, but then you saw his lips twitch. The wince was so subtle you were sure only you caught it. He was hurt, badly, you realized, but he was pretending otherwise.

You stood up and walked quickly down the field and towards the entrance of the armoury where you saw him making his way towards. He was waving to some of the crowd and accepting the congratulations of some of the warriors that had come to watch.

“That blow to your shoulder looked nasty,” you heard one of the men say as Loki approached where you were.

Loki shrugged. “It’s only a scratch,” he said nonchalantly. He looked up and when he saw you said, “but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to have it checked out by the little healer.”

The man gave Loki a resounding slap on the back. You could see Loki grimace. You beckoned him to follow you outside the arena, away from the crowds.

“It isn’t just a scratch, is it, your highness?” you said as soon as you were alone.

“No,” he said briskly, and all his posture immediately transformed. He sagged, and his face stopped being carefully rendered to hide the pain. You stepped towards him so he could lean against you. He put an arm around you for support and thanked you.

“Do you have the energy to magic us to the healing ward?” You asked.

He didn’t respond. Instead you felt the dizzying sensation of being teleported. Colors swirled around until they finally settled on the familiar, friendly surroundings of your place of work.

You helped him hobble over to the room reserved for the royal family and up onto the cot. As soon as you let go of him, he collapsed onto his back with a groan and closed his eyes. It really must have been worse than you feared. 

You tried to examine the wound in between the gash of his leathers, but you couldn’t tell it’s severity, so you started trying to find the buckles to take off his armor. When you couldn’t find any in a few seconds, you huffed in frustration and then reached for some scissors to cut the garment open. Loki’s hand stopped you. You looked up to his face to see his eyes still closed. The next second he waved his hand an inch or two and he was suddenly shirtless in front of you.

“Thanks,” you murmured. He grunted in acknowledgment.

You got some cloth to clean up the blood on his shoulder in order to be able to see the damage clearly. You tried to withhold your gasp as you examined the wound. The jagged edge of the bilgesnipe’s antlers had torn the skin open from his shoulder all the way down under his arm to the side of his ribcage. The cut got shallower as it went down his body, but up top, it was deep, and the bleeding was coming fast. You applied a simple coagulation charm to help slow it down.

You must not have done a very good job at hiding your gasp because Loki chuckled. “Tell me, little one, am I going to die?” he said cheekily.

You let out an exasperated huff, annoyed once more by the casual way he spoke of his own death. “No, I don’t believe you will,” you told him as you grabbed the various poultices and potions you would need to treat him . “But you are very, very lucky. Half an inch deeper and you could have ruptured an artery,” you berated. Then you said seriously, “Gods are hard to kill Loki, but not impossible. You could have bled out and died today before I could have helped you. You need to be more careful with yourself,” you warned.

“Why must I be careful when I have you to take care of me?” he asked. You suspected he meant to say the question lightheartedly and teasingly, but it sounded more grim. Probably from the sting of the poultice you were applying. 

“Be quiet,” you told him, laying your hands gently on his wounded shoulder. “I need to concentrate.” 

He did as you asked and you closed your eyes and centered yourself. Then you brought forth your magic, feeling the heat of it pouring from your heart, into your arms and fingertips and then finally sinking into the skin beneath your hands. You kept at it, taking deep breaths to keep your strength. You planned on going for another minute or so, but a cool hand lightly rested on top of yours and caused you to lose focus.

You let out a sound of protest as you opened your eyes. As you expected, the wound looked much better, but it still needed more of your magic to heal without a scar. 

“You’ll deplete your energy if you continue, little healer,” the prince said quietly. “You’ve done plenty already.”

You flicked your eyes up to his face and was surprised to see that his own were open and looking at you. There was a peculiar emotion found in them. A softness.

You jerked your hands off his body and took a step back. All of a sudden you were too close to him. It felt too intimate. You saw an emotion that almost seemed like disappointment flash across his face, and you looked away.

You cleared your throat and crossed the room to the cupboard. It felt heavy to walk; the healing magic had taken a toll on your body, but the atmosphere felt weighty as well. “Can you sit up so I can apply bandages?”

He cleared his throat as well. Softness left his voice and formality returned. “Yes, of course.”

You sighed internally and cursed yourself for making him put his guard up again. But what else could you have done? You were just a healer, and he a prince. You could never entertain notions of any sort of intimacy with him. You had needed to distance yourself in that moment, reestablish boundaries, for him, and for yourself.

Of course, it was very hard to feel distant from him when you were up close and personal with his naked torso as you began to apply the bandages. A very nice torso you thought, before you scolded yourself. But no matter how much you tried, it was extraordinarily hard to not be aware that the man whose flesh was beneath your hands was inordinately beautiful.

Desperate to think anything else, you clang onto whatever other emotions passed through you. The most prominent one being anger at his stupidity.

“Why in the realms did you do something so foolhardy as fight a bilgesnipe? Especially after last time!” You bit out. “I’d expect this level of stupidity from your brother, but not from you, your highness.”

“What, you didn’t appreciate the show? Didn’t find it impressive?”

You looked up and met his eyes briefly before you continued to wrap the cloth around him. “Of course I found it impressive,” you said. “I found it very impressive, actually,” you added quieter.

“Well then, it was a rousing success.”

You huffed. “Are you saying the only reason you fought the bilgesnipe was to impress the crowd?”

Loki winced as you wrapped the bandage slightly too tight under his armpit. He shifted and you started again. “Is that not why anyone fights? To impress others?”

You snorted. “Ridiculous Asgardians and their warrior culture,” you muttered under your breath, but a hair too loudly.

“What did you say?”

You paused and looked at him, biting your lip. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that, your highness.”

“No, little healer, it’s alright. I just wish to know why you said it.”

You shook your head as you returned to the linen closet for some more bandages. “You are aware that both my parents are Vanir, yes?”

Loki nodded.

You sighed. “On Vanaheim, war is not glorified. It is not triumphant. It is not valorous. Little girls and boys do not talk with excitement of growing up to be fearsome soldiers like they do here. Building, growing, repairing, healing; those are the traits that are valued, the ones people strive for excellence in.”

You started on wrapping of his shoulder, this time much slower than before, knowing the area would still be tender. You continued, “Of course, the Vanir aren’t a meek people. They recognize war and bloodshed are sometimes necessary to protect yourselves and your loved ones. Fighting, therefore, is a means to an end, nothing else. And when you are fighting not in battle? That is no more than practice. It is not to show off.”

Loki nodded slowly. “That is… very different than here.”   
  


You gave him a wry smile. “Yes, indeed.” You were almost done bandaging him up. Just a few more wraps around his shoulder and you would be finished. You found yourself slowing down, drawing out the last seconds you had a valid excuse to be so close to him.

“I did not wish to impress the crowd,” Loki said, nearly a whisper, after a few silent moments had passed. “There was only one person who I wished to please.”

“Oh yeah? And who was that?” You said, as you concentrated on finally fastening the bandages so they would stay in place.

The prince didn’t answer verbally. He just turned his head to you and looked up at you until you met his eyes.

_ Oh.  _

You were tempted to step away again, establish boundaries once more. But you felt like you were locked in place, staring down at those beautiful green eyes, so vulnerable as they took you in. You took in a few deep breaths, then finally found your wits and started to move back. This time, it was his hand, not his eyes, that stopped you, as it came to lightly grip your forearm. You exhaled shakily.

After you continued to not say anything to his nonverbal admission, he eventually looked away from you, his face attempting to craft a look of mild indifference, but you could tell he was anything but. “I understand that you do not return my sentiments towards you. Do not worry, little healer, for I will bother you no more about them.”

Your tongue was frozen, unsure what to say. He was wrong, and you wanted to tell him that he was wrong. But how to do so without tangling yourself into an ill-fated affair? But you needed to tell him something of the truth. You couldn’t leave him so dejected. So you started collecting your poultices and potions and extra bandages to put back, giving you time to formulate your words.

“I would have it more impressive, not less, if you used your Seirdr,” you started quietly, your back now to him as you put your supplies away. You were grateful that the room layout meant that you were between him in the door. Otherwise you were worried he would walk away from you before you had said your bit.

“Yes? Why is that?” he said. You couldn’t quite make out the tone he said it in. Tired, perhaps, resigned, likely. “You don’t find it weak? Unmasculine?”

“No, not in the least,” you said as you turned around and faced him again. He wasn’t meeting your eyes “I care not whether it is considered a respectable way of fighting on this realm. When you wield it, you are the most powerful of anyone on Asgard.” You bit your lip. “If I had to choose anyone to protect me or my loved ones, to make me feel safe, I would pick you over anyone else: Thor, the Warriors Three, Sif, or any of the generals.” 

His eyes finally flicked back to meet yours. You saw him sit up a little straighter, almost as if his body had actually swelled with pride with your compliment. But you still saw a wariness in his gaze. One you wished to extinguish.

“Besides,” you said, stepping forward, maintaining eye contact as you did, “watching you fight with Seidr is simply… entrancing.”

“You think so?”

You laughed. You weren’t sure where the boldness came from, but it felt exhilarating, and you clung onto it.“Why do you think I came and watched you train so much?” You asked, grinning coyly at him. “It wasn’t because I was ever interested in Fandral as a suitor.”

He looked at you with a guarded hopefulness. You were now a foot away from him. He shifted so his legs were splayed and you could step even closer to him as he sat on the cot. With one last step, you were face to face.

You wished to kiss him. Your eyes darted to his lips, and you saw his do the same to yours. But alas, the boldness that had taken hold of you had expired. You leaned back a half an inch and smiled sadly at him.

“But you, your highness, are a prince, and I am but a lowly healer,” you whispered. “Whether or not I find you captivating does not matter. My thoughts are of no consequence because I could never have you.”

The hand from the uninjured side of his body rose and carefully cupped your cheek. You leaned into it subconsciously, feeling a comforting warmth wash over you, despite the coldness of his touch. You closed your eyes, and you stood like that for a few moments.

“Your thoughts are of great consequence to me, little healer,” Loki said softly.

A second later, you felt cool lips press against your own. You startled, but the hand on your cheek kept you grounded, rubbing calming circles on your cheekbone. Soon you melted into the kiss, relaxing as you tried to take everything about the moment in, savor what you had longed after for so long, what you expected you would never experience again.

You were devastated when he finally broke from you. A thin film of moisture coated your eyes, and you worried it would overflow into tears. You would have turned away if he had not stopped you with his next words:

“I wish to be yours, little healer. And for you to be mine.”

You blinked. The tears you were fighting escaped.“But how could it be? Is not any prospective pairing between you and I not doomed?” You shuddered. You had kept your longing for him locked away in your body for so long and now taunted with him it seemed to manifest itself physically, unsure whether to be celebratory or shattered.

His hand on his injured side, though it could not move far, managed to grab hold of one of your own and give it a reassuring squeeze, calming your shaking. His other wiped away your tears with the pad of his thumb. He leaned up to kiss your forehead.

“We will make it work, little healer. I promise. I will find a way.”

You settled in his arms. Terrified, but more hopeful than you could ever remember.

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone else felt the painful longing of loving a person you can't have??? Cause I've got it real bad right now, ladies and gents. It ain't fun!
> 
> As this is my first fanfiction I've posted, I'd love to hear your thoughts :) I sincerely apologize for the typos that I'm sure that are in here. I was very tired when I edited this. 
> 
> I plan on writing a lot more for Loki in the future and posting on here and on a Tumblr account I recently created. Here's the link in case anyone is interested: https://letthistrainbreakdown.tumblr.com/
> 
> Nothing much on there now, but hopefully in the future there will be!


End file.
